ENKI and the Serpent Knowledge of the Gods

About this film or conversation

Enki is one of the oldest and most complex figures in human history.Before the rise of Babylon or the writing of Genesis, Enki appears in the earliest Sumerian records as the lord of the Abzu, the keeper of wisdom, the architect of creation, and the god most closely tied to humanity itself.

In this episode, we present a full 44-minute portrait of Enki—tracing his origins from the first Sumerian cities to later Babylonian, Biblical, and global mythological traditions.

Explore Enki’s role in the creation of humanity, his opposition to Enlil, the decision to unleash the flood, and the forbidden act that ensured humanity’s survival.

Examine Enki through ancient texts, including the Sumerian tablets, the Enuma Elish, and later reinterpretations such as Zecharia Sitchin’s The 12th Planet. We follow the trail of Enki’s symbols—the serpent, the fish-man Oannes, the “Me,” the number forty—and track how these ideas reappear across cultures, from Mesopotamia to Africa, Greece, Mesoamerica, and the Biblical world.

Published episode notes · Jason Abadi